3 Desa di Jember Jadi Desa Wisata

Jum'at, 28 Agustus 2009 13:13:58 WIB

Reporter : Heru Nugroho

Jember (beritajatim.com) - Pemerintah pusat melalui Departemen Pariwisata saat ini sedang menggiatkan desa wisata untuk menarik wisatawan lokal maupun manca. Jadi dalam mengenalkan obyek tujuan wisata daerah kepada para wisatawan baik domestik maupun mancanegara, salah satunya adalah dengan mengemas wisata daerah melalui pengembangan desa wisata.

Program tersebut sebagai langkah awal untuk lebih memberdayakan masyarakat yang ada disekitar tempat tujuan wisata. Konsep desa wisata� itu dengan memaksimalkan potensi yang dipunyai oleh desa baik dari aspek ekonomi maupun sosial budayanya.

Dengan adanya desa wisata praktis akan meningkatkan pendapatan masyarakat yang membuka usaha kecil dilokasi tujuan wisata dengan menjual berbagai macam kerajinan dan warung makanan, selain itu keberadaan desa wisata bisa memberikan kontribusi pendapatan kepada daerah.

Dari data yang ada di kantor Dinas Pariwisata Propinsi Jawa Timur sendiri menyebutkan, di Kabupaten Jember ada 3 desa yang dikemas menjadi desa wisata. Diantaranya desa Kemuning Lor kecamatan Arjasa, desa Sukorambi kecamatan Sukorambi dan desa Sumberrejo kecamatan Ambulu.

Selain Jember beberapa kabupaten juga turut dikembangkan desa wisata, diantaranya kabupaten� Banyuwangi, Lamongan, Pasuruan, Malang dan Pacitan.

Menurut Kepala Kantor Pariwisata Pemkab Jember Arif Tjahjono,SE, dipilihnya desa wisata tersebut bukan tanpa alasan. Dirinya mencontohkan di desa Sukorambi kecamatan Sukorambi terdapat wisata agro Taman Botani, desa Kemuning kecamatan Arjasa dikenal dengan pemandian Rembangan, serta di desa Sumber Rejo kecamatan Ambulu ada pantai watu ulo dengan keindahan wisata lautnya.

“Kantor Pariwisata Kabupaten Jember sangat mendukung program desa wisata ini, upaya persiapan desa wisata terus dilakukan dengan berbagai upaya mulai dari mempercantik sarana dan prasana yang ada hingga mensosialisasikan program tersebut kepada masyarakat desa wisata, mengingat desa wisata ini akan dilaksanakan pada tahun 20l0,” jelasnya.

Kedepan Arif berharap bisa berkembang seperti di Yogyakarta. Seperti misalnya di kabupaten Sleman Propinsi DIY (Yogyakarta) saat ini ada sekitar l50 desa yang disiapkan menjadi desa wisata.[her/ted]

Sumber :

http://www.beritajatim.com/detailnews.php/2/Gaya_Hidup/2009-08-28/43644/_3_Desa_di_Jember_Jadi_Desa_Wisata

On The Road: Bhutan Photo-Expedition

Well, I've packed my last few items in my bags and as you read this, I'm on my way to meet up with the rest of the Bhutan: Land of the Druk Yul photo~expedition participants in Bangkok (after stopping en route in London) on September 21. The 8 photographers are all US-based, except for one who hails from Canada.

Being in Bangkok for a couple of days will allows us to get to know each other before getting to Bhutan, and perhaps take the opportunity to photograph in the city's Chinatown and other areas. What I do know for a fact is that I'll splurge on as much sushi and glorious Thai food as I can...Bhutan is not really a gastronomical destination, so tucking in goodies is always a good idea.

I will try to update the blog whenever I get the chance...certainly it won't be a problem in London and Bangkok, however it may be difficult to find the time and accessible internet connections in the Dragon Kingdom...so expect sporadic (but informative posts) on the progress!

NPR: Traveling Down The Amazon

Here's Traveling Down The Amazon, an intelligently produced NPR multimedia feature that combines audio, stills and graphics to tell the story of transcontinental highway being built in Peru and Brazil which promises to bring economic opportunities, and also acute environmental problems, to one of the most remote places on earth.

NPR correspondent Lourdes Garcia-Navarro and staff photographer John Poole traveled the Peruvian route to produce this series.

I found this via a Twitter post (aka a "tweet") by Tracy Boyer, the editor of the excellent Innovative Interactivity blog, that deals with new multimedia and which she appropriately calls "a digital watering hole for multimedia enthusiasts".

Traveling Down The Amazon is not the kind of feature that one can watch in one sitting...it's too long and too dense to absorb in one go. So bookmark it for whenever you have the time to follow it properly.

I haven't had the time to watch except the first chapter The Road, and found it surprising that the producers of the piece haven't sync'ed the stills and the narration by Garcia-Navarro together. It hasn't bothered me much because I could return or go forward to the still photograph I was interested in, and still keep the narration going on.

Location of Orissa

Location of Orissa - The State of Orissa is located on the eastern coast of India at 17° 49' North - 22°0 34' North Latitude & 81° 29' East-87° 29' East Longitude. Carved out of Bihar in 1936, Orissa is located on the eastern coast of India. Bordered by Madhya Pradesh in the west, Andhra Pradesh in the south, West Bengal in north-east, Bay of Bengal in the east and Bihar in the north, the state extends to an area of 1,55,707 Sq. Km.

Black Rapid R-strap: Reinforcement

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
As reported here on The Travel Photographer's blog, I'm a fan of the Black Rapid R-straps and have used mine for over a year on my various photo-expeditions. Many participants in my photo-expeditions like and use them as well, however they're all wary about having expensive cameras dangling from their bodies.

One of the common fears is that the Fasten R which attaches the strap to the bottom of the camera's tripod mount gets undone. If that attachment/fastener is not tightly screwed in, it could get undone because as the camera hangs from one's body, it wiggles and swivels around; such movements can loosen the attachment. Naturally, if that were to happen, the camera and lens would fall to the ground with potentially ugly consequences. I make it a habit to check the tightness of the attachment/fastener every now and then, and a couple of times found it to require a turn.

The company produces the newer FastenR-2, but as I don't have it yet, I can't speak to whether it's an improvement or not in that respect.

Since I'm about to travel in the coming few days on my Bhutan Land of the Druk Yul photo-expedition, during which we'll be frenetically photographing the various festivals and rituals, I've decided to adopt the suggestions of many photographers...and tether a length of lanyard to the Canon 1d's eyelet (originally for the optional hand strap). I also replaced the L-shaped Fasten R with a 1/4"x 2" eye bolt from a hardware store. This makes me feel much more comfortable, since should the eye bolt get loose, the lanyard will keep the camera from dropping to the ground.

Does it look classy and elegant? No, but it's good insurance....and no, it doesn't impede my photographing vertically. Well, maybe just a little bit. Another advantage is that I can easily check and tighten the eye bolt (if need be) with one hand as I walk around.

I'm carrying my other camera (5d Mark II) in a Lowepro holster-style bag, so I don't need to retro-fit another Black Rapid strap in the same way. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't use the same method as 5D Mark II doesn't have an eyelet for a handstrap....but necessity is the mother of invention, and I'm bound to come up with a solution.

Naturally, if anyone has a better idea (or simpler), do let me know!

Note: My thanks to Alex Marino who introduced me to an alternative strap called Sun Sniper. However it's similar to the R-Strap, and has the same weak spots.

Romadhan Ceria 1430 H

keceriaan di bulan romadhan 1430 H ini sungguh terasa di kota jember dari keramaian Kota yang semakin mendekati lebaran para orang saling memperhias rumah mereka, membeli pakaian baru bahkan membeli sepeda motor baru. fanomena ini sungguh terasa saat di bulan Romadhan 1430 H , berbagai macam pakaian di bermacam-macam pertokoan dari Shafia (pusat pakaian Busana muslim) Rean colecction NIKO 1 & 2 Bahkan Matahari departement Store

Selamat bulan Ramadhan 1430 H & Selamat hari Raya idul Fitri 1430 H
Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Bathin

Mansi Midha: Kashmir

Photo © Mansi Midha-All Rights Reserved
First things first. I believe if Mansi hadn't been involved with the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Manali this past month, it would never have succeeded as it did. She was the hidden (and frequently, visible too) energy behind all the arrangements, big and small, that are crucial to the viability of such a complex venture. Mansi's cajoling, threats and perseverance made the Foundry Workshop click, and she deserves ample recognition of this here.

Mansi also happens to be a damn good photographer. I chanced upon her as I was walking out of our small hotel on my way to Manali town, and saw her hard at work editing the beginnings of her project "Aditya" on her laptop; a poignant story of a disabled child and his struggling family.

However, for the purpose of this blog, I highlight Mansi's Srinagar, Kashmir project. Kashmir is a long term project for Mansi, and this is merely its start.

A graduate of the International Center of Photography in New York City, she also graduated with a BA in Communication Design. Currently based in New Delhi, Mansi's photographs have been exhibited in various venues in New York, India and China, and she was awarded a clutch of recognitions for her work.

Audy Ayban

sandy dawey

Mr. Sandy Dawey our hard hitting guy who grew up playing baseball is a native of Bugang, the vegetable basket of the town.


He hardly gets serious and jokes a lot, he is a natural in dealing with guests and a very helpful guide as well.

Sandy is an good learner, being able to cope with every situation given to him. This person is currently doing part time guiding while attending to his fields in their community.

sandy with fan's este guests at the bonfire 2009

photo sent by Ms. Dianne Belasano

POV: Divine Plan

Photo © Rita Castlenuovo/The New York Times
The New Tork Times brings us a rather interesting photo-essay by Rita Castlenuovo, along with an article by Ethan Bronner, which starts like this:

"Of the hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, those who live in unauthorized hilltop outposts like this one, a hardscrabble unpaved collection of 20 trailers, are considered the most dangerous. They are fervent believers that there is a divine plan requiring them to hold this land."

Er...and I am a fervent believer in a divine plan requiring me to occupy a gorgeous $14,000,000 townhouse in the West Village that is not mine.

The caption accompanying the above photograph in Rita Castlenuovo's slideshow Fervent Believers published today in The New York Times would make me laugh, if it wasn't for the repulsive action of this zealot thug and the resultant humiliation of this unfortunate Palestinian woman. As alcohol, wine is anathema to observant Muslims, and having been drenched with wine must've caused her much grief.

The photograph's caption reads:

"A settler tosses wine at a Palestinian woman on Shuhada Street in Hebron. The approach of some settlers towards neighboring Palestinians, especially around Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south, has often been one of contempt and violence.

I've used a boldface to highlight what I call "diluting qualifiers" inserted by whoever is the editor of this caption to ensure that readers should not take from the article that it's all these settlers who frequently (or consistently) "approach" Palestinians with violence and contempt. I also chuckled at the choice of the word "approach"...instead of "commit violent acts or treat with contempt".

Sneaky wordsmithing which many readers will unfortunately not notice...but perfect timing by Castlenuovo.

See the The Practice of Domination on the No Caption Needed blog for a similar opinion.

Alessandra Meniconzi: Hidden China

I've waxed lyrical many times about Alessandra Meniconzi's Hidden China book, and it was with great pleasure that I realized she recently updated (and enhanced) her website with absolutely magnificent photographs of minorities in China, structured along the same chapters in her book.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If there's one travel photography book you ought to have on China, this is the one. If this still doesn't convince you, I believe the imagery you'll find on her Hidden China website will. This is travel photography and ethno-photography at its best.

As background, Alessandra Meniconzi is a Swiss photographer fascinated by the lives and traditions of indigenous people in remote regions of the world. After many years of working in Asia, she traveled in Iceland and became interested in the Arctic. She is the sole photographer for the books Hidden China (2008), Mystic Iceland (2007), and The Silk Road (2004), and she is currently working on the new book about Tibet, Arctic and Himalaya.

Alessandra was featured here on TTP.